But I Need It!
by denpa wave chick saki
Summary: Every girl in a talent show needs a costume, especially one Galinda Upland, who is out to prove that she does indeed have the best singing voice at Shiz.  Which would all be good and dandy, if Elphaba wasn't the one dragged in and forced to make it.
1. Fun and Fabric

**My first Wicked mini-series! Hope you all enjoy it!**

"Elphie."

The green woman was aware of the blonde standing next to her desk, tapping her foot impatiently at her lack of response.

"Elphie."

Elphaba turned the page of her book, still paying no attention to the petite blonde.

"Elphaba!"

Irritation. That was Elphaba's cue to pay attention. She reluctantly looked up from her book. "Yes, Galinda, I heard you the first time."

"Then why didn't you answer?"

"I was hopeful that you would go away."

Galinda started to raise a hand, presumably to smack the green girl, and Elphaba put her book up in defense.

"I was only joking!" she protested, but with a smile. "Spare me your vicious attack."

The hand lowered, and Elphaba marked her page before setting her book down.

"Elphaba, I want to be in the talent show," the blonde said.

"And which of your many talents would you show off? Flirting?"

Galinda's expression didn't change. "I'm being serious, Elphaba."

"As was I." Elphaba ducked to avoid the hand coming at her. "Again, I was joking."

"Well, I'm not!"

"Galinda, my sweet, why in the world would you want to do something as ridiculous as a talent show? It wouldn't have anything to do with those giggling girls you call 'friends', would it?"

"They said they could sing better than me!"

"How insulting."

"Pfannee has an awful voice, Milla could curdle milk with hers, and Shenshen… well, I might as well rub a grater against my head, which would be the equivalent of listening to her."

"Mm-hm." The green woman had gone back to reading her book, but it was soon yanked out of her hands. Elphaba sighed and looked up at Galinda. "So, you seem like you have it in the bag. Where do I figure in?"

The blonde smiled. "Oh, Elphie, I can't just beat them. I have to destroy them! Crush them! Smash their egos into LITTLE BITTY PIECES!"

Elphaba was taken aback by the blonde's sudden outburst. "O…kay."

"That is where you figure in. I need you to help make my costume."

"C-costume? What costume?"

"The costume I'm going to wear for my performance, of course! One has to dress properly for these things, you know."

"Of course."

"So you'll help me, right?"

"Ah, no."

The blonde's face fell. "Why not?"

"In case you haven't noticed, I am rather busy. I don't have time to waste on your silly talent show."

"Elphieeeeee…."

"Galinda, I said no."

Elphaba took her book from the blonde and turned around in her chair. She heard what sounded like pathetic whimpering behind her. Elphaba sighed.

_Give me patience to deal with this impossible girl._

Elphaba turned back around and saw that Galinda was looking at her with huge sapphire eyes, and had pushed her lower lip out in a pout. The whimpering noises were coming from her.

"Does this really mean that much to you?" Elphaba asked, crossing her arms.

Galinda nodded.

"If I help you make this costume, will you let me study in peace?"

The blonde nodded again, more vigorously this time. She knew she was going to get her way.

Elphaba sighed again. "Sweet Oz, I can't believe I'm agreeing to this. All right, Galinda, I'll make this costume for you."

"Yay!" the blonde chirped. She embraced Elphaba tightly, and the green girl stiffened. "You won't regret this, Elphie."

"I already do," the green girl growled.

Galinda released her, a huge smile on her face. "Now, I already drew up the design of what I want, so all you have to do is make it!" The blonde threw herself onto her bed, rummaging through the space between it and the wall. She retrieved a rolled up piece of paper and returned to the green woman's desk.

"You hid it behind your bed?" Elphaba said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, don't give me that, Elphie. I had to make sure that no one would try to steal it."

Elphaba shook her head as Galinda unrolled the paper on her desk. "And just where do you think I'm going to get the materials for this?"

"I already took care of that as well!" Galinda went to her bed again, and pulled out several shopping bags from underneath it. She picked them up and dumped them on Elphaba's bed. "There should be more than enough here."

Elphaba could only stare. "You were really relying on me saying yes, weren't you?"

"I wasn't worried. Now, that talent show is on Friday and—"

"Wait. Friday? Today is Monday! That only gives me five days!"

"More than enough time!"

Elphaba's mouth moved, but was unable to form words.

"Now, you get started on the costume, and I'll see you later."

"Wait, where are you going?"

"It's a secret."

"Galinda, wait—"

But the blonde was already out the door. Elphaba looked at the mass of pink and gold fabric before her, and sighed for a third time. She took off her glasses, wiped the lenses, and returned them to her face.

"No time like the present, I suppose," she said before she grabbed the first piece of fabric and started cutting it to the right size.

**Well, what do you think?**


	2. Stress and Sequins

When Galinda returned to their room later that night, she found Elphaba sewing by the light of her desk lamp.

"Elphie," she sang.

"Yes?" Elphaba replied tiredly. Her eyes were killing her, and not just because the pink fabric Galinda had chosen was blinding.

Galinda approached the green woman and looked down at her progress. "That's it?"

"Galinda, you do realize that there was very little I could do without your measurements, right?"

"Oh. I suppose that would have been helpful."

"Just a tad."

"Well, you can take them now!"

"Galinda, I'm ready to collapse. Can't we do it tomorrow?"

"But if you take then now, then you can start working tomorrow!"

The green girl sighed, but stood up from her chair. "All right. But first, take off that dress so I can measure properly."

"Okay!"

As Elphaba retrieved her measuring tape, Galinda shed the dress she was wearing. When Elphaba turned back around, she almost dropped the tape. Galinda was standing in front of her, clad only in her undergarments.

"I'm ready!" she chirped happily, completely oblivious to the awkward situation she had just created. Elphaba shook her head, and forced herself to ignore the fact that her roommate was almost naked as she started to measure.

Though it seemed like forever, finally, blissfully, the measuring was done, and Elphaba could turn away from the blonde.

"I'm done," she mumbled, her face a dark green. Those were images she knew she would never be able to forget. She heard Galinda changing into her night clothes, but refused to look at her.

"Make sure you get some sleep, Elphie," the blonde said as she climbed into her bed.

"Right… sleep."

* * *

As the week progressed, Galinda's costume began to come together. By the time Thursday came around, Elphaba had the top and skirt finished. Upon the completion of the skirt, Elphaba decided to reward herself with a cup of coffee.

When Elphaba returned to her room, she found someone trying to pick the lock.

"Hey!" she said.

The person, whoever they were, jumped in surprise before fleeing. Elphaba shook her head before unlocking the door and entering the room. She couldn't imagine why someone would want to break in… unless…

Elphaba looked at the costume on her desk. It seemed silly but maybe Galinda had been right. Perhaps these people really did take talent shows seriously.

"Elphie!"

The green girl turned and saw her roommate standing in the doorway, holding her hands behind her back with a smug grin.

"Galinda, there's something I need to tell you—"

"You will have to wait, because I have a surprise."

"Joy. I so love surprises."

"Since you've been working so hard on my costume, I decided to get you a little something to show you my thanks."

"Oh, really?"

"I picked it out especially for you."

"I'm touched."

The blonde brought her hands out from behind her back, and Elphaba saw that she was holding a hat. A black hat with a pointed top.

"What do you think?" the blonde asked.

Elphaba tried to find the right words. "It's… very smart."

"I know! It's perfect! Well, not for me, I mean black is not my color at all, but it would just look so swankified on you!"

Elphaba took the hat from her, and turned it over in her hands. When she looked back up at the blonde, she saw that her face had fallen. "What?"

"You don't like it?"

"No, no I do! It's… perfect. For me. Thank you." Elphaba put the hat on, and the smile returned to Galinda's face.

"See? I knew it would look great on you!"

Elphaba could only smile and nod, not wanting to hurt the blonde's feelings. While the hat wasn't something she wouldn't have chosen for herself, it did seem to fit, and besides, no one had ever given her a present before.

"What did you want to tell me?" Galinda asked.

Elphaba opened her mouth, then closed it. She couldn't bring herself tell Galinda about the attempted break-in, so she decided to just keep it to herself. "Your costume is almost finished."

"Really? Will it be done by tomorrow?"

Elphaba nodded. The blonde's grin got bigger.

"I knew I could count on you, Elphie!"

* * *

Friday morning. The talent show was in a few hours, and Elphaba never wanted to see another sequin in her life. It was finished. The costume from hell was finally done. Elphaba sat back in her chair, admiring her work. Though it had been torture, she had to admit that she had done a pretty good job. Galinda couldn't have any complaints.

"Is that it? Is it done?" Galinda asked, leaning over the green woman's shoulder. She was about as excited as a kid on Lurlinemas.

"Yes, my sweet. It is finally done," Elphaba replied. She was choked from behind as Galinda hugged her.

"Elphie, it's perfect! I can just see everyone's face now; jealousy all around!"

"Galinda… choking… not breathing…" Elphaba wheezed. The blonde released her and Elphaba put a hand to her throat with a cough.

"Let's celebrate with breakfast!" Galinda said.

"How about I celebrate with sleep?"

"You can't sleep now! A good breakfast will give us the energy to face the day ahead!"

Galinda grabbed the green woman's arm and dragged her from the room, not swayed in the slightest by her protests.

* * *

Eleven o' clock rolled around, and Elphaba found herself making sure that the sound system had been properly set up. The talent show was in two hours, and Elphaba couldn't wait until it was over. She had had enough of this foolishness.

"The microphone still isn't working," Fiyero said. He was sitting in a chair near the speakers, "helping".

"Did you plug the cable in correctly?" Elphaba asked, irritated.

"Yeah."

Elphaba went around to the back of the speakers, shaking her head when she saw the tangled mass of wires. She unplugged some and plugged them into different sockets. She went back to where the microphone was.

"How about now?" she said into the microphone, her voice booming out of the speakers. Fiyero, who was surprised by the sudden loud noise, jumped and fell out of his chair. Elphaba smiled.

"Elphaba! Elphaba!"

Elphaba turned and saw Galinda running towards her at full speed. Her voice sounded panicked. The green woman hopped off the stage, and Galinda almost collided with her.

"Elphaba… our room… the costume…" the blonde panted.

"Galinda, take a deep breath, and think about what you want to say," Elphaba said.

Galinda did as she was told, and straightened up. "Someone broke into our room and stole my costume!"

"What?"

"The talent show is in two hours! What am I going to do?"

"We'll have to look for it."

"How? We only have two hours, and it could be anywhere!"

Elphaba knew that the blonde had a point, and she was about to tell her to just forget it when a sudden realization hit her.

"Don't worry, Galinda. I made two costumes, just in case something like this happened," she said loudly.

"You did?"

"Of course. I hid it in my closet. No one would ever think to look there."

Galinda just looked confused, but when Elphaba winked at her, she knew that the green girl was on to something.

"I'm going back to our room at eleven thirty to get the last of the supplies. We can get it then," Elphaba replied. "Now, come on. Help me set up more chairs."

Elphaba grabbed a folding chair, and her eyes caught a figure dashing out the back door. She looked at Galinda, and the two left another way to get to their room.

When they arrived, they found someone rummaging through Elphaba's closet.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Elphaba asked.

The person jumped, startled, but there was no escape.

"Give Galinda her costume back, and we'll pretend this never happened."

**Who could the culprit be?**


	3. A Perfect Ten

"You tricky—"

"You broke into our room and stole Galinda's costume. I had every right to trick you. Now, return the costume."

"Really, Shenshen, you didn't have to do that! Elphie put so much time into that!" Galinda said.

"It was necessary! Are you even listening to yourself, Galinda? You'd rather spend time with this… this… _freak_ than with normal people. I had to do it."

"You're just jealous!" the blonde said.

"Jealous? Don't make me laugh."

"You and the rest of those… ninnies! You're jealous because you don't have a real friend. A friend who's always there for you, and likes you for who you are, not for what you have! I know that Elphaba appreciates me for the person I am, and she would never do anything to hurt me!"

Elphaba looked down, slightly embarrassed. Must Galinda drag her into this? She just wanted the costume back so they could get this all over with.

"Now, you'd better give back my costume, or suffer my extreme displeasure!" Galinda finished. The blonde looked serious, and Elphaba feared what would happen to Shenshen if she didn't comply.

"I'd just give her the costume back," Elphaba said. "Just my advice."

* * *

One o'clock, and the room was packed with students and faculty members. Galinda peeked out from behind the curtain before ducking away again.

"There are so many people!" she whispered.

"You'll be fine. Just do what you do best," Elphaba said, handing Galinda her pink cowboy hat.

"You are going to watch, right?" Galinda asked.

"Right in the front row," Elphaba replied.

Galinda smiled before raising herself up on her tiptoes and kissing Elphaba on the cheek. "Thank you."

Elphaba put a hand to the spot, slightly stunned, but she soon recovered and escaped to her spot in the audience just as the curtain opened.

Sitting through everyone's performance was torture, and Elphaba wondered if Galinda was performing at all. Finally, her name was announced, and Elphaba clapped with everyone else as Galinda took center stage, her back to the audience as the music started. The blonde turned just as she began to sing the first lyrics.

"_Last night I got served a little bit too much of that poison baby. Last night I did things I'm not proud of and I got a little crazy. Last night I met a guy on the dance floor, and I let him call me baby_."

Galinda's eyes fell on Elphaba, and she winked.

"_And I don't even know his last name! My mama would be so ashamed. It started off 'hey cutie, where you from', and then it turned into 'oh no, what have I done'. And I don't even know his last name_."

Elphaba could only stare as Galinda sang and moved across the stage. The costume looked amazing on her, and the gold shimmered under the lights. The blonde's voice mesmerized Elphaba, and she soon realized that while she had been slaving over Galinda's costume, the blonde herself had been out rehearsing.

"_We left the club right around three o'clock in the morning. His Pinto sitting there in the parking lot, well it should have been a warning. I had no clue what I was getting into, so I blame it on the Cuervo. Oh, where did my manners go?"_

"_And I don't even know his last name! My mama would be so ashamed. It started off 'hey cutie, where you from', and then it turned into 'oh no, what have I done'. And I don't even know his last name_. _Here we go!"_

The blonde tossed her cowboy hat into the air as she continued to dance, the smile never leaving her face, and her eyes continuously flashing towards the green girl.

"_Today I woke up thinkin' about Elvis somewhere in Vegas. I'm not sure how I got here, or how this ring on my left hand just appeared out of nowhere. I gotta go, take the chips and the Pinto and hit the road. They say what happens here stays here, all of this will disappear. There's just one little problem:"_

"_I don't even know my last name! My mama would be so ashamed. It started off 'hey cutie, where you from', and then it turned into 'oh no, what have I done'. And I don't even know my last name_."

By now, the audience had started a rhythm of clapping, and that only encouraged the blonde further.

"_What have I done? What have I done? What have I done? Oh, what have I done? Well, __it started off 'hey cutie, where you from', and then it turned into 'oh no, what have I done'. And I don't even know my last name."_

Galinda struck a pose just as the music ended, and the audience burst into applause and cheers. The blonde looked out at the crowd, her smile too big for her face. She took a bow before stepping off the stage. She ran at Elphaba and threw herself at the green girl, embracing her tightly. Elphaba almost fell over, but managed to keep her balance.

"Galinda that was amazing," the green girl said.

"I couldn't have done it without you, Elphie. Thank you."

For once, Elphaba hugged her friend back. When Galinda released her, Elphaba saw that she had a mischievous grin on her face.

"What?" she asked, wary of the blonde's answer.

"Your turn."

**The song I used for this chapter was _Last Name_ from Glee, sung by the one and only Kristin Chenoweth. Hope you enjoyed it!**


End file.
